


Pierce my heart, once and true

by galaxylove



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Sort Of, Unrequited Love, a lot of side pairings - Freeform, like a lot of it, lil bit of angst lol, nice ending tho i promise, power au, underage drinking i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-18
Packaged: 2019-03-04 14:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13366503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxylove/pseuds/galaxylove
Summary: In a world where everyone’s eyes gave them some sort of power, some were less desirable than others.Mina’s was a curse.





	1. Pierce my heart, once and true

**Author's Note:**

> so i remembered reading an snsd fic back in the day with a similar plot line and i thought hey, why not add my take on it  
> i wish i could find it so i could link it but it was years ago  
> anyway, this was all written in one go at like 3am so i hope you like it

   She wishes she didn’t have this power.

  
   Everyone had one, she knows that. It was inevitable, an unavoidable curse bestowed in some unknown genetic mishap some generations back. 

  
   Some people didn’t view it as a curse, but rather a miracle. Her mother’s eyes told her when someone was feeling sad, meaning Mina’s life had been full of happiness and love from both of her parents at even the slightest inclination of her being less than content. Her father’s eyes told him when someone was lying, making him able to pinpoint his patients at the hospital with a stern glare when they weren’t exactly straight forward with their dietary habits. It also meant Mina had been unable to rebel - no sneaking out from the house at 2am, no hanging out with friends under the guise of studying.

  
   (She found it had shaped her into a very honest person, however, so she supposes she should thank him for that.)

  
   The power their eyes gave them were harmless. Helpful, even, in their day to day life.

  
   It wasn’t like that for everyone.  
Some people’s powers drove them to the brink of insanity, crashing and screaming at the burden of something they didn’t want, of knowledge they couldn’t handle. Some people saw war, landscapes ravaged and burning at other’s hatred. Some people saw nothing at all, crying to the night sky for the reason as to why they were broken, unloved by the stars and moon alike.

   Mina wished she saw nothing.

   Instead, she saw a steadfast arrow embedded through people’s chests, forever pointing in the direction of the person they loved.

   It wasn’t physical in any sense. It was a manifestation of her imagination, doing no harm to their innards or herself if she brushed past strangers a little too closely.

   
   (She still flinched a little whenever her father pulled her in for a hug, shying away from the very _real_ looking arrow that had been steadily aimed at her mother for as long as she could remember.)

   It could have been worse, she supposes.

  
   She finds this hard to believe when she looks into heart-broken eyes everyday, back hunched as the arrow in her chest points dejectedly towards the beautiful third year with cherry-red hair.

  
   They’re in high school and heartbreak is inevitable, relationships fleeting and forgotten for the most part.

  
   Momo’s arrow has been pointing at Nayeon for the better part of three years now, not wavering once.

  
   She looks across the cafeteria, looks at the genuine grin embedded on her pretty face and her eyes drop to the arrow in her chest. It pointed to the boy with his arm around her, slung lazily across her shoulder as he pulled her into his chest in a tight embrace.

  
   He didn’t have an arrow.

  
   Mina takes another bite of her sandwich, tearing her eyes away from the couple and back onto Momo. It wasn’t her place to get involved, to play cupid in other people’s stories. She pushes her chocolate bar towards Momo, knowing that milky ways are her favourite and finally gaining her attention. She gets a soft smile in response, glee lighting up her face at the sight.

  
   She might not play cupid, but she could be there to ease the hurt a little.

  
   A body slides onto the bench suddenly, knocking into Momo and almost making her drop the unwrapped bar in her hand. She turns to level a glare at the intruder before it melts almost immediately, wide grin forming at the sight of Sana.

  
   “Hey! Where have you been?” She half-yells, wrapping an arm naturally around the girls waist.

   Sana blows a strand of hair out of her face as she reciprocated the hug, face flushed from hurrying over to them.

  
   Mina tries not to wince when the arrow in Sana’s chest embeds itself in Momo when they hug, opting to take another bite of her sandwich instead.

  
   “Mr Jung made me re-do the calculus test because I laughed halfway through the actual test from that text you sent me.” She pouted, scowling as she play-shoved her best friend away. “He thought I was cheating.” She mumbles after, unable to keep the scowl in place as her face breaks into a small smile.

  
   Momo grins sheepishly, nuzzling apologetically against Sana’s arm.

   “Forgive me?” She says in a babyish tone, and Sana’s nose wrinkles in disgust.

  
   “Yes, _yes_ , as long as you don’t do that awful voice again.”

  
   “But you _love_ this awful voice.”

  
   The arrow in Sana’s chest quivers at the word ‘ _love_ ’, some sort of visceral reaction to the notion. Sana sucks in a small breath that Momo doesn’t notice.

   “Not really.” She retorts, easy and practiced and the two descend into playful bickering, squabbling on the other side of the table like petulant children.

  
   It’s easier like this, Mina concedes, finishing her sandwich to watch the convoluted story of unrequited love play out in front of her.

 

* * *

  
   It was kind of a taboo to ask other people about their eye powers. A lot of people regard it as very personal information, keeping their secret held tightly to their chest in a firm grasp. Some people are quite forward with it, disclosing their power easily as if it were their star sign or their birthday, able to laugh about it with friends and strangers alike.

  
   Usually those powers were benign and light, not carrying the weight that Mina’s carried.

  
   So when Mina found herself in a small circle of girls playing spin the bottle at a party, nestled away in the corner from the mass of teenage hormones spiralling in the center of the room, and Kim Dahyun boldly chose ‘ _truth_ ’ in front of Im Nayeon, Mina shivered uncomfortably.

  
   The quirk of her eyebrow was unmissable, eyes glazed over with alcohol and the arrow in her chest long since gone. That boy had cheated on her, one of the most public and dramatised break-ups the school had seen and Nayeon declared herself ‘way over that hot mess’ months ago.

  
   (Every now and then Mina saw the echo of an arrow-shaped imprint in her chest, a shadow of a former love.)

  
   Nayeon leans across the circle on unsteady arms, teeth bared in a mischievous grin as Yoo Jeongyeon shoots an arm out to steady her friend. Everyone is waiting, all of the other eight girls watching the third year with curious eyes and baited breath as she paused in front of the naive first year.

  
   “Dahyunnie,” she breathes heavily, “what’s your power?”

  
   Someone gasps, more than one person Mina thinks, at the question. She can’t hear clearly over the sudden roar of adrenaline in her ears, reminding herself to only pick dare, dare, _dare_. Jihyo leans forward, pushing Nayeon back with an angry scowl as she chastised her, asking _how could you ask such a question_? with angry hand movements.

  
   “I don’t mind.” Dahyun breathes shakily, laughing as eight heads turned to her in unison. She leans back on her arms, the picture perfect ode of nonchalance as she answers easily.

  
   “I can uh,” she begins, wetting her lips quickly, “I can see love.”

  
   The admission had Mina’s chest tighten painfully, eyes locked on the cheerful girl opposite her. The other girls exploded, echoing cheers of _‘that’s so cool!’_ and ‘ _wow really_?’ at the revelation. Even Jihyo joins in, though she still sends a warning scowl to Nayeon who grins like a child who wasn’t really in trouble.

  
   Ever the daring Im Nayeon.

  
   “How does it work?” Jeongyeon marvels, voice drowning out the other girls as they fall silent at the question. Mina wonders the same thing, absently thinks if it’s as painful as her power. She takes in the numerous arrows pointing from chests in the circle, feeling her own chest twinge at the absence of one from a certain chest in particular.

  
   “It’s like, I can see when people are in love.” She states, glancing around the circle with a small smile. “People glow, like they literally glow.”

  
   The girls around her gape in wonder, murmurs escaping their lips in amazement as Dahyun continued.

  
   “I can’t tell who they’re in love with, though.” She says thoughtfully, finger to her lip as she thinks. “If you ever see me shielding my eyes when I look at someone though, then you know what I’m seeing.”

  
   The girls laugh and Mina laughs with them, making eye contact with the seemingly easy-going first year across from her.

  
   It might be a trick of the light, but Mina thinks she sees Dahyun’s eyes squint when they meet.

 

 

  
   Mina bumps into Dahyun later, after she goes into the kitchen in search of another drink. She didn’t particularly enjoy drinking that much, but she had been dancing with Chaeyoung and Momo and her throat was more than a little dry at this point. She’d tried to convince them to come with her, but Momo looked like she belonged on the dancefloor as an old R&B song came on, hips swinging automatically to the nostalgic beat.

  
   Chaeyoung was another story, opting to talk to the pretty Taiwanese transfer who Dahyun had dragged into their game of spin the bottle earlier. Mina thinks she sees the shaft of a fledgling arrow begin to sprout in Chaeyoung’s back as they begin conversation, so she shrugs off the rejection and makes her own way to the kitchen.

  
   She passes Jeongyeon on the way, guarding the bottom of the stairs from immoral party goers in search of a quick lay. Mina pauses, decides to make conversation.

  
   “Where’s Nayeon?” She shouts over the music, leaning in close to the taller girls’ ear.

  
   Jeongyeon jerks a thumb up the staircase.

  
“She’s just getting changed.” She shouts back, stifling an eye roll. “Something about her outfit ‘n _ot being eye-catching enough’_ , or something.”

  
   Mina laughs with her. She’s not really sure why she asked for Nayeon’s whereabouts when the arrow in Jeongyeon’s chest waived unstably in the direction of her room, as if it wasn’t sure of itself yet.

   

   She excuses herself, giving the older girl a quick hug as she pushed past more bodies to get to the kitchen. The hallway is lined with arrows, some stable, some not. Some are broken, drooping limpy towards the floor like they’ve been there a while. Mina ignores them all, breezing past the myriad of teenage hormones as she enters the kitchen, spotting Dahyun almost as soon as she enters.

 

   “Hey.” she greets easily, not as loud as before as the music is more muted in this room than the hallway. Dahyun turns to her with a wide smile, tilting her drink in her direction.

  
   “Hey Mina!” She shouts unnecessarily, turning back to rummage through the fridge. “Want a drink?”

  
   “Yes, please.” She hops up on the counter, hopes it’s devoid of any spilled substances. The fridge door closes and Dahyun hops up next to her, legs dangling lazily over the counter top as her feet don’t quite reach the floor. Mina feels the cold press of glass against her palm when Dahyun shoves the drink towards her, leaning over to pop it open.

  
   “Thanks.” She nods, taking a small swig of her drink. Dahyun beams in response and takes a sip of her own.

  
   They both sit in silence for a moment, punctuated only by the muted thud of the music in the living room and the low hum of the refridgerator. Dahyun hums after a moment, placing her bottle down on the counter with a soft clink.

  
   “It’s not that cool.” She admits lethargically, finally slumping forward. “The love thing, I mean. The party’s cool but, being able to see when someone’s in love…” She tapers off, unable to put it into words.

  
   “I know.” Mina shuffles uncomfortably when Dahyun’s eyes turn to look at her, unused to seeing them filled with such misery.

  
   “You too?” She whispers, and Mina can only nod as her grip around the bottle tightens. Dahyun laughs, the sound devoid of humour.

  
   “What’s it like for you?” She questions dejectedly, leaning her head on Mina’s shoulder.

  
   Mina takes a deep breath, swallows the tangle of emotions in her throat and blinks back the threat of tears.

  
   “ _Awful_ ,” she whispers, putting her own bottle down to run her hand through Dahyun’s hair. “I can see when people are in love, and who they’re in love with.”

  
   A slender arm finds its way around her waist, gives her a little squeeze at the admission.

  
   “ _God_ ,” The girl next to her laughs again, bringing her other hand up to wipe at her eyes, “I don’t know what I would do if I could see who people loved.”

  
   “It’s bad enough that I have to look at the girl I like and see her glowing brighter than the fucking sun, but to know who she was in love with?”

   

   She let the unspoken words hang in between them, sighing heavily.

  
   “You can see it right? Who I’m in love with.”

  
Mina nods uneasily, unable to verbalise her thoughts in this heavy moment. She opts to press a soft kiss to the crown of the younger girls hair as the first sob begins, bringing her other arm around to wrap her tightly in a crushing hug.

  
   Dahyun clenches at the material of her shirt with both hands, pulling away with shaky breaths after a few moments to look at Mina with watery eyes rimmed red.

  
   “Who are you glowing for, Minari?”

  
   Mina can’t speak, the arrow in her chest pressing heavily against her heart and weighing down her words.

 

 

* * *

 

   At some point at the party, something must have happened between Nayeon and Jeongyeon for Mina spies two arrows intercrossed comfortably when they sit side by side. She doesn’t question it, sends a quick text to Momo asking her if she wants to grab milkshakes that afternoon.

  
   They both sit in Moe’s, sipping languidly on thick shakes as Momo sighs dejectedly across the table. She must know by now, Mina thinks, because the arrow in her chest is newly broken, snapped and splintered to reveal a hollow hole to the other side.

  
   Mina lets her best friend decide if she wants to talk about it, and she does through choked tears and resigned sighs. Mina holds her hand over the table, letting trembling fingers clench her own in a near-painful grip.

  
   She couldn’t play cupid, but she could mitigate the fallout.

 

* * *

 

 

  
   They go back to school two days later, events of the party mostly forgotten as the more pressing matter of homework and finals come up. Nayeon and Jeongyeon are overwhelmed with the workload, complaining incessantly to their friends at every opportunity. The second years weren’t faring much better, their teachers dumping an ungodly amount of ‘bonus’ material to get them ahead of the game.

  
   The first years watched them all descend into chaos, laughing and mocking them as they did so. Sana narrows her eyes at them, pulls Dahyun into a rough embrace and begins tickling her relentlessly.

  
   “This’ll be you in a year you brats!” She gestures towards Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, who was standing behind the taller girl towering in front of her protectively. Dahyun was writhing on the ground in hysterics, her friends having left her for dead to Minatozaki Sana’s merciless wrath.

  
   The smile on her face is genuine, smiling up at the older girl who had collapsed on her in a mutual fit of hysterics almost as soon as the ‘ _torture_ ’ began. The unadulterated adoration filters through in times like this, when Dahyun forgets to censor herself, and Mina forces herself to look away when Sana’s body falls on top of the first year, unable to look at the arrow pointing firmly out from Dahyun’s chest.

  
   Everyone is laughing at their antics, a much needed distraction from the heavy weight of school work and exams, and Mina finds herself laughing with them despite the arrow at the edge of her vision.

 

* * *

 

 

   “I’m _so_ sorry I had to waste your time like thi-“

   “Dahyun.” Jihyo holds up a hand firmly, halting the girl’s apology mid-sentence. “Don’t apologise, I said I would help you and I am. This is clearly important to you otherwise you wouldn’t be asking me, and I wouldn’t be doing this unless I wanted to.”

  
   Dahyun nods mutely, turning to fix the second year with a sly grin.

  
   “Has anyone ever told you that you’re an angel?”

  
   “A few times, actually.” The older girl quips, pinning Dahyun with a grin of her own. “Flattery won't work Miss Kim, you’re still going to have to do those chemistry equations yourself. I’m just here to help.”

  
   “Oh come on Jihyo,” Dahyun whines, mock pout in place as she clasps her hands pleadingly, “Not even a little?” She pinches her fingers together, looking at the smile Jihyo failed to hide.

  
   “Not even a little.” She echoes in a sing-song tone. Dahyun groans as they turn towards the library, not particularly looking forward to this necessary torture.

 

   A body smacks into them, almost knocking Jihyo over in their haste and Dahyun’s arm flies out to steady the girl as another hand automatically stretches out to shield her eyes.

  
   She had no idea who the other body was, barely able to see them past the brilliant luminent light they gave off.

  
_Jesus Christ,_ they could power the sun with that amount of light, she winces behind her hand.

  
   “Oh God, Jihyo, I’m _so_ sorry!” A soft, familiar voice filters through her eardrums, making her drop her hand in shock. She squints blearily at the figure in front of her, slowly able to make out the pretty features of her friend. She steps back from the pair, watches as Mina worries over Jihyo’s well being and the matching, beaming light emanating from both girls’ chests at the interaction.

  
   Dahyun’s mouth drops open in shock, looking at the warm smile adorning Jihyo’s face when she spoke to Mina and the accompany flare of light that followed. She was glad both of the girls were too caught up in each other to notice the blinded squint of her eyes as she observed them with a small smile, arms folded across her chest.

  
   Sometimes her power really sucked, but as she watched accidental touches and tender smiles fall into place she thought that maybe there were some upsides.  



	2. Aim again, a little higher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dahyun throws caution to the wind, mutters a soft ‘fuck it’ before she rests a small hand on top of Mina’s. She was tired of seeing unhappy endings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i should have finished my other wips before i started and completed an entirely new project but hey... that's how life goes

   The studying goes about as well as Dahyun expected, if she’s completely honest.

 

  And by that she means not very well at all.

 

  Mina came with them to the library, offering her equal knowledge of first year chemistry to the younger girl as well as Jihyo’s, and well - that’s was _great_ and everything, but Dahyun wished both of the girls paid more attention to her frustrated whines and huffs of displeasure as she tackled her work rather than each other. It was kind of cute, she admits reluctantly, soft serenity settling on Mina’s face with every word Jihyo spoke animatedly and with grand, exaggerated gestures.

 

  She almost didn’t want to interrupt them, but she had been stuck on this particular question for the better part of twenty minutes and was getting nowhere.

 

  “Jihyo, how do I balance the equation on question 21-”

 

  “Page 341.” Jihyo answers immediately, barely pausing her detailed description of the time Nayeon tried to fight a squirrel because it stole her bread to Mina. She resumes her tale, re-enacting the exact face Nayeon made when the squirrel started chasing her. Mina laughs, the sound high and tinkling as it floats around the almost empty library and it makes the desk attendant  shoot the trio a distasteful look from behind the counter.

 

  The pair miss the way Dahyun’s eyebrows shoot up, too engrossed in each other to spare the poor girl a glance. Dahyun can’t look at them for too long anyway, her eyes aching from the warm, glowing light surrounding their bodies. It was less painful than before, the brightness muted a little but the rays of light still ebbed and flowed in intensity with every chesty laugh and every accidental brush of hands.

 

  If Mina had have been paying attention, she might have picked up on how easily Jihyo answered a question from over a year ago with barely a moments hesitation.

 

  Dahyun doesn’t say a word, just hums and flicks to page 341 as she tucks away another little bit of information labelled ‘Park Jihyo’ in her head. She wonders if the girl even noticed the slip-up, concludes she’s too transfixed by a pale, gummy smile to care.

 

 

* * *

 

 

  Jihyo has to leave earlier than she planned, getting a text about an hour into their ‘study’ (staring at Mina lovingly) session from her parents asking her to come home. She slings her backpack over her shoulder and starts semi-running towards the exit, shouting farewells to Mina and Dahyun as she ran and earning another deserved glare from the attendant. Dahyun watches her go, wonders what was so important that Jihyo practically ran home to find out. She stops staring at the exit to turn to Mina, who predictably was staring after the long gone figure of the pretty second year with a small, content smile.

 

  Dahyun snorts, drawing her attention.

 

  “Way to make it obvious.”

 

  Mina raises a brow, face schooled in a perfect mask of indifference.

 

  “What are you talking about?”

 

  Dahyun raises an eyebrow back, grinning with uncontrollable delight.

 

  “I’m talking about the pretty little light display you put on for me with Miss Park. Quite impressive, I must say.” She muses, finger on her lips as a tell-tale strip of red rises on Mina’s cheeks.

 

  “Fuck,” the usually composed second year mutters under her breath, “I forgot about your power.” She murmurs lowly, even though the only other person around was the uninterested librarian thumbing through her book at an agonizingly slow pace.

 

  Dahyun oozes an unbearable smugness, set in the permanent smirk plastered on her face.

 

  “Mmm hmm,” she hums complacently, pinning the older girl with lazy eyes, “why haven’t you made a move yet?”

 

  Mina looks back, a little sad, a little withdrawn. Mostly there’s genuine confusement playing on her face, as if Dahyun already knew the answer.

 

  “I mean...isn’t that obvious?” She questions, eyes narrowing at the younger girl. “You can see as well as I do, I like her but she doesn’t like me back.”

 

  Dahyun reels back in her chair, thinks about the overpowering amber hue emitting from the subject of their conversation the entire time they were sat together. She narrows her eyes back, laughing nervously.

 

  “What do you mean?” She chuckles, a heavy feeling settling in her gut as a thought ran through her mind. “You can’t see it? The arrow, or whatever version it is you see of what I see?”

 

  “Dahyun,” Mina sighs heavily, the chair scraping against the floor as she shuffled forward anxiously, “Jihyo doesn’t have an arrow.”

 

  Her head is screaming at her, throwing the answer repeatedly against her skull rhythmically and brutally. She massages her temples, debates whether she wants to reveal this bit of information or not. Mina is looking at her, eyes littered with uncertainty and puzzlement.

 

  Dahyun throws caution to the wind, mutters a soft ‘ _fuck it_ ’ before she rests a small hand on top of Mina’s. She was tired of seeing unhappy endings.

 

  “Mina,” she begins softly, finger tracing the back of a delicate hand in what she hoped was reassuring motions, “Jihyo is glowing.”

 

  The other girl jolts in her seat, eyes blown wide with astonishment and disbelief. Her mouth is agape, opening and closing a few times in an effort to make sense of this information but all she manages to emit is a bewildered ‘huh?’. Dahyun smiles, pours all of her sincerity into her eyes and hopes it bleeds through.

 

  It takes a while but Mina finally manages to speak, though the sentence is choked and her voice is high pitched in disbelief.

 

  “ _How_?” She stutters, “she doesn’t, I don’t, there’s no-”

 

  “I think,” Dahyun interrupts, now holding both of Mina’s hands in her own, “that your power doesn’t work in relation to yourself.”

 

  “Are you sure?” Mina says, hopes that the tangled thread of hope in her lungs doesn’t end up constricting her. Breathing was difficult enough with the shaft of a single arrow through her chest, she doesn’t think she can withstand anymore pressure.

 

  Dahyun shrugs, eyes glistening fondly.

 

  “No, but would it be so bad to try?”

 

  There’s a hole in her chest,  punctured clean through skin and bones and piercing her heart once and true, but she feels it lessen as softly woven string begins to sew it shut.

 

* * *

 

  

   She’s tugged into an empty classroom the next day, gentle fingers wrapping around her arm in a soft but firm grip as she felt her center of gravity shift off tilt. She almost drops the books in her arms but she is balanced by the taller body holding her up, giving her a sheepish grin in apology.

 

  “I’m sorry,” Tzuyu begins, eyes downcast on the floor, “but I didn’t know how else to get you alone.”

 

  “It’s fine, I was just a little startled.” Mina laughs, resting her back against the door behind her. She looks up at the younger girl, takes note of the hesitation in her posture and the nervous grip of her hands in her skirt.

 

  “What’s wrong?” She asks, setting her books down on a nearby table.

 

  The first year falters, as if she isn’t sure how to put this across.

 

  “My...my power,” she begins, and Mina sucks in a surprised breath, hears it echo in the emptiness of the room, “I can see what other people are feeling.”

 

  Mina goes to speak but Tzuyu beats her to it, words rushing out of her mouth in an overdue waterfall of emotions.

 

 “And, and I can see it. Everything. Right now you’re blue, and a little yellow, but you’re not a sad blue you’re a calm blue. And you’re hesitant, but calm, and that’s why you’re a little yellow and that’s okay because you’re _okay._ ” She stresses the last word, words spilling over as her tongue fumbles to catch up with her brain.

 

  “But Momo is blue, and it’s not like yours. It’s sad, and there’s little flecks of grey between it and I’m worried.”

 

  Mina sucks in a heavy breath, puts a hand on Tzuyu’s chest and shoots her a reassuring smile.

 

  “Tzuyu, she’s just a little heartbroken right now.”

 

  Mina is pincered with a stern glare, holding far more weight and maturity than a sixteen year old should be able to convey.

 

  “If that’s what this is then Sana’s been heartbroken since I’ve met her. And nobody's done anything about that.”

 

  Something in Mina’s chest drops when she hears her friends name, makes her think of the steadfast arrow that’s been embedded in her chest since they were in elementary school.

 

  “What colour is Sana?” Mina whispers, not sure she wants to know the answer.

 

  There’s a brief moment of internal debate on Tzuyu’s face before her features drop, overcome with exhaustion and reluctant acceptance.

 

  “Usually she’s pink. She’s this bright, vivid pink streaked with strokes of yellow and sometimes hints of red. But that’s just like the surface.” She brings a hand up to her face, pinches the bridge of her nose with a sigh. “Since I’ve met her there’s been this persistent undertone of blue, but in the past few weeks it’s gotten stronger. Now I can barely see anything but blue.”

 

  The younger girls eyes are slowly filling with tears as she speaks, clearly distressed over this.

 

  “I’m sorry you have this burden.” Mina whispers, reaching up to wipe at her own eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “I’m so sorry.”

 

  “What are you sorry for?” Tzuyu chokes back, pulling Mina into a rare hug. She melts into the taller frame, arms wrapping tightly around a narrow waist and feels the younger girl engulf her wholly. She laughs against her shirt, clipped and humourless as she presses her head to a warm shoulder.

 

  “You want to help her.” Mina says, feeling Tzuyu stiffen against her.

 

  “Shouldn’t I?” She feels rather than hears, a low rumble against the ear she has pressed to Tzuyu’s chest.

 

  “I’ve been asking myself that for the past eight years.”

 

  Tzuyu pulls away, holds her at arms length as she regards her with curious eyes.

 

  “I want to help.” Mina chokes out, voice crumbling as the tears begin to fall, “ _God_ , I want to help them _so_ much.” She’s pulled back into a familiar chest, Tzuyu holding her like she’s breaking into pieces.

 

  “I can see it, Tzuyu. I can see it, and I could say something, _anything_ to stop it. But I _can’t_ , I shouldn’t, I won’t play God in someone else's story.”  

 

  Her tears are staining the crisp white of Tzuyu’s shirt, and she goes to pull away but a tender hand presses her head closer, playing with her hair gently. She exhales shakily in the younger girls embrace, hears the soft hum in her chest.

 

  “Maybe not,” she begins, as if she’s telling a secret, “but it doesn’t hurt to give a gentle nudge.”

 

  She wonders when her younger friends became so much more mature than her, and wonders when she decided to take their advice so literally.

 

* * *

 

 

 

  “Talk to Sana.” She texts Momo the next day, no prelude or follow up just a short, simple demand. She doesn’t get a response, but the app tells her that her childhood friend has seen the conversation and she locks her phone, throwing it onto her bed as she sinks into her mattress.

 

  Her phone buzzes at 2am, waking her up as she scrambled blindly for the device. She squints at the screen blearily, looks at the short, simple message in response and the weight in her chest lightens.

 

  “Thank you.”

 

  She smiles, letting the device fall from her hands back on the sheets as she burrows into her duvet. She hesitates, reaching out once more to unlock her phone and start tapping out a message with shaky fingers.

 

  **Minami:** you up?

   **Jihyosus:** yah, what do you need? :)

 

  She grins despite her tiredness, a lot more awake and confident as she types out another reply.

 

  It doesn’t hurt to give a little nudge, she thinks, pressing send and jumping out of bed to grab her jacket and boots and try to figure out how to sneak out of her bedroom window without alerting her parents.

 

  (They find out, not because her dad asked her a question and she had to lie but because her mother came downstairs in the morning to find Mina passed out on the couch, still with her coat and boots on. Her mother plucks her phone out of her slack grip, accidentally presses the home button to see a slew of messages filled with heart emoticons and sweet words.

 

  She sets it down on the side, puts a blanket over Mina’s sleeping form and presses a soft kiss to her temple.)

 

* * *

 

  It gets easier.

 

  She’s barely through the school gates when a tall body crashes into her, steadying her with an uncanny familiarity as she stares up into a wide grin.

 

  “She’s _pink_!” Tzuyu whisper-shouts, shaking Mina’s smaller frame with excitement. “Sana’s pink again! And Momo’s pink too!”

 

  Mina can’t speak past the mass of thoughts overloading her brain, letting the younger girl drag her into the school building with unmatched enthusiasm. She’s trying not to trip over her uncooperative legs when she sees her friends, spying Jeongyeon’s chic, shaggy haircut rising above the smaller girls crowding next to her in the hallway. There’s a big grin on her face, and Mina looks at the similar smiles her friends are wearing like a matching set, eyes set on the two blushing girls whining good-naturedly in the middle of them all. Her heart is thumping wildly against her ribcage as Tzuyu pulls her over, wedging herself between Nayeon and Chaeyoung so that they could see better.

 

  She blinks rapidly, unwilling to explain to her friends why she’s almost crying at the sight of her best friends when they can’t see what she sees.

 

  She sees an arrow, firm and unwavering in the centre of Momo’s chest as she turns to greet her, eyes alight with elation and gratification. The arrow pivots accordingly, pointing steadfastly at the amorous girl standing next to Momo with open adoration in her eyes for the first time Mina can remember. Mina’s yanked forward, wrapped in the most crushing bear hug as Momo’s arms tighten around her back with a squeeze.

 

  “Thank you, really.” She mutters in her ear, ignoring the slightly baffled expression on their friends faces at the uncharacteristic display of softness between the two. Mina catches Sana’s eye over Momo’s shoulder, the girl blowing her a kiss when their eyes met with a giggle. Tzuyu is thrumming with excitement, enough so that she wraps her arms around both of the girls and lifts them slightly off their feet. Momo squeals loudly, shouting at Tzuyu to put her down, and Mina’s laughing; rich and loud, like her lungs are full for the first time in forever and the crushing force compressing her chest has lifted finally.

 

  She closes her eyes. She doesn’t need to see to know when there was love, could feel it wrapped in an arduous embrace and euphoric laughter.

 

  Tzuyu puts them down, setting them onto the floor heavily and Momo untangles herself from Mina and almost falls into Sana’s waiting arms. She shoots the youngest girl a glare devoid of animosity, sticking her tongue out childishly until she gets a soft tap on her forehead from her girlfriend chastising her for being rude. She pouts, whines in a high-pitched grating voice that has Nayeon and Chaeyoung groaning in displeasure. Jeongyeon lunges across the group to grab at the girl, making her shriek in alarm and dart behind other bodies to escape.

 

  Mina laughs again, head shaking amicably at their antics when she catches Dahyun’s eyes from across the circle. She’s watching the scene fondly, small smile etched into her cheeks as she watches Sana huff in exasperation, rolling her eyes as she watches Momo run down the crowded hallway with Jeongyeon close behind.

 

  Her eyes flick down to her chest instinctively, relief coursing through her body when she sees that the hole in Dahyun’s chest has been getting smaller and smaller with each passing day. Her eyes trail back up and she sees the younger girl looking back, face at ease and soft with fondness.

 

  Heartbreak was inevitable, but healing was just as certain.

 

  Nimble fingers slide against her palm from behind, threading in between her own as a warm body presses against her.

 

  “Did I miss much?” Jihyo asks softly, eyes darting to the floor nervously when Mina turns to her with a tender smile. Mina gives the hand in her own a squeeze, rubs her thumb along smooth skin naturally.

 

  “Not much at all.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...may or may not be writing a third chapter. this was going to be a oneshot, but I have no self control. I kinda feel like I can end it here if I really wanted to, but there's a few more scenes I want to share and I might as well give you soft and fluffy post-relationship content


	3. Rest your bow, you've hit your mark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> major warning there is EXTREME fluff ahead, you've been warned!!!!

   “So like,” Momo begins, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth as the rest of the girls got into place around Nayeon’s television, “I’ve been thinking.”

 

  “Oh no.” Jeongyeon exclaims, winces when Sana’s hand comes into contact with her arm.

 

  “Be nice.” She chastises, catching the kiss her girlfriend blew to her from across the room.

 

  “Anyway,” Momo continues, “We know what Dahyun’s power is.”

 

  The other bodies in the room still nervously at the mention of powers, so unused to discussing it openly. Mina eyes her best friend from across the room, wonders what she’s trying to get at.

 

  “And I don’t know, it made me a lot more comfortable with you all. I trust you all a lot, and I guess I want to share this piece of myself with you?”

 

  Someone aww’s next to her. Mina thinks she sees Chaeyoung clutching at her heart and Jihyo’s arm moves to press against the inside of her own, nimble fingers dragging mindlessly against her palm. Momo takes a deep breath as she prepares herself, looks at her girlfriend for reassurance before she looks back to them all.

 

  “I can influence people, to an extent.” She exhales heavily, smiling at them all easily. “Not that I’ve ever done it to any of you guys, and I have to be making eye contact when I do it, but it’s super easy to control and trust me when I say I would never, _ever_ use it on you guys.”

 

  Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon erupt in excitement, throwing themselves at the grinning second year eagerly and with questions tumbling from their lips.

 

  “That’s so cool!”

 

  “Wait, so you can make someone do anything?”

 

  “Can you make Nayeon be nicer?”

 

  The last one earns the audacious first year a sharp glare, followed by a swift pillow in the gut by the affronted older girl. Chaeyoung winces from the surprising force and shoots her a cheeky grin, earns herself a swift middle finger in response.

 

  “Wait,” Jihyo speaks up, mind drifting back to an event a few months back, “are you the reason why Miss Kim rescheduled that surprise test in History?”

 

  Momo stills.

 

  “Uhhh, _noooo_?” She laughs apprehensively, hand reaching up to rub at the back of her neck nervously. “I would never do that.”

 

  “Uh huh,” Jihyo nods, unconvinced.

 

  “It’s not really something I think about a lot, I can ignore my power a lot of the time.” Momo shrugs, eyes suddenly apathetic. “I’m lucky, really.”

 

  “Same,” the girl next to Mina admits quietly, shuffling slightly to press closer into her girlfriend’s side.

 

  “I have uh, a photographic memory, I guess.” Jihyo says, startling when Dahyun launches to her feet with a triumphant yell.

 

  “I knew it!” The younger girl shrieks, gesticulating wildly with one arm. “You knew the answer to that question way too fast for it to be normal.”

 

  “The what now?” Jihyo asks, genuinely confused.

 

  “Oh,” Dahyun laughs, sinking back to the floor and crossing her legs, “you were pretty busy flirting with Mina so you probably don’t remember.”

 

  The girls around them chorused ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’, waggling their eyebrows vehemently and Mina felt Sana’s elbow dig into her side suggestively. Jihyo sighed, took the ribbing in her stride with a soft smile as she waited for the noise to die down.

 

  “But yeah, I can remember anything I see. It’s pretty helpful.” She adds as an afterthought, leaning to lie down against her girlfriend’s side. Mina pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her and giving a squeeze.

 

  “You guys have really cool powers.” Dahyun marvels from the floor, glancing around the room intermittently. “Anyone else want to share or? No pressure.”

 

  “Actually,” Sana begins, sitting forward with a smirk, “I’ll tell you mine if you want.”

 

  Mina isn’t entirely sure she trusts the sly lilt in the girls eyes, narrowing her own uncertainly. Dahyun doesn’t notice this though, and responds enthusiastically.

 

  “Sure!” The first year chirps, and Sana’s smirk stretches into a full blown grin.

 

  “I can see attraction.” She admits to the dead silent room, quiet enough that a pin drop would be heard.

 

  “More specifically,” she laughs, low in her throat, “attraction to me.”

 

  Mina gulps nervously, the memories of her ( _very_ ) brief crush on the older girl when she was fourteen flooding her mind like a wave. Jihyo fidgets next to her uncomfortably, eyes staring pointedly at the floor as she coughed surreptitiously.

 

  _Wait a goddamn minute_.

 

  “Wow haha,” Dahyun wheezes, as if she’s choking on an invisible straw, “that’s a neat power. Anyway-”

 

  “If it makes you feel any better Dahyunnie, you’re not the only one in this boat here.”

 

  Mina glances around the circle, takes notice of the fact that every single one of her friends bar Tzuyu was shuffling nervously. Her jaw drops, as do the others when they notice.

 

  “What!”

 

  “Are you _kidding_ me?”

 

  “When was this?!”

 

  “That’s my girlfriend you assholes!”

 

  “Can you blame me?”

 

  Sana presses a swift kiss to a very vexed Momo’s cheek, coaxing the other girl down from her riled up state. She shot one last glare to every member of the circle (minus Tzuyu) and leans back grumpily into the sofa, arms folded childishly. Sana wraps her arms around the brooding girl, drawing a small, involuntary smile through the pout. Someone fake gags at the sight, probably Jeongyeon, and they all laugh.

 

  Sana sits up straight, runs a hand through her hair and fourteen year old Mina’s heart would have skyrocketed at the sight. She sends them all a daring grin.

 

  “But yeah, it’s been...challenging.” She admits through pursed lips. “I actually got a teacher fired in middle school because, you know…” The girl trails off, and Nayeon makes a low noise of disgust in her throat.

 

  “Good.” The oldest girl declares, sending the second year a reassuring grin. Sana smiles back, soft and thankful.

 

  “But yeah, it could be worse, I suppose.” Sana finishes, leans into Momo’s side instinctively as she does so. Mina doesn’t even blink when the heads of their arrows intercept, disappearing inside the other as they shuffle closer. She barely even notices the objects anymore, still can’t see an arrow in Jihyo’s chest but she’s honestly so grateful for that.

 

  She’s not sure what she’d do if it’d ever disappear, but the way her hand fits into her own makes her think that won't happen for a while yet.

 

  There’s a few moments of silence, a pregnant pause as the girls wait for anyone else to speak up.

 

  “If we’re all said and done,” Nayeon drawls dryly, always the one to break the silence, “I’m actually quite looking forward to watching the new star wars.”

 

  Approximately six pillows are flung at the oldest girl, who shrieks and tries to hide behind Jeongyeon like a shield at the unexpected attack. Mina feels the laughter bubbling in her throat even as she swallows down the tangle of emotions that the previous conversation evoked, watching as Dahyun and Chaeyoung launch themselves at Nayeon armed with pillows for ‘ruining the mood’. She’s shrieking, screaming bloody murder, but everyone else is laughing and she thinks she sees Tzuyu filming this comfortably from her seat.

 

  Gentle fingers tug on the sleeve of her shirt to get her attention, and Mina looks down to see her girlfriend staring at her bemusedly.

 

  “Not gonna share?” She questions quietly, just loud enough for the girl to make out. Not that it mattered anyway, with Nayeon shrieking like a banshee some five feet away, but she appreciated Jihyo’s carefulness nonetheless.

 

  She thinks of Tzuyu and Chaeyoung with firm arrows in their chest, pointing determinedly at each other for the better part of four months now. Thinks of how they still haven’t confessed to each other yet, though the shy smiles and soft touches have grown bolder and more daring recently. She thinks of the many different arrows that have sprouted from every chest in the circle, and all the unrequited loves that were never mentioned or faded away.

 

  “Nah.” She murmurs quietly, bringing their interlocked hands up to press a kiss to soft, soft skin.

 

  “Not yet.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

   “Mina, you have to help me.” Dahyun slammed her books down in front of her, startling the girl out of her daydream. She tugged the earbud out of her ear, pausing her music to give the first year her whole attention.

 

  “Hello to you too,” she laughs briefly, looking up concernedly, “help with what?”

 

  “Jieqiongaskedmeoutbutshe’snotglowingandIdon’tknowwhattodo.” Dahyun spat out in a rush, not even pausing to take a breath.

 

  Mina blinked slowly.

 

  “What?”

 

  Dahyun sighed exaggeratedly, slumping down onto the bench with a heavy thud.

 

  “The exchange student, Jieqiong. She asked me out but she’s not glowing and she’s _really_ pretty and nice but… I don’t want to get involved if she doesn’t actually like me.”

 

  Dahyun looks so forlorn and miserable that it takes a lot of effort for Mina not to laugh, she brings a hand up to her mouth and hopes she disguised the attempt behind a hefty cough. She raises her sandwich to her mouth, takes a small, precise bite while she mulls over an answer.

 

  She thinks of the pretty little Chinese student who transferred at the beginning of the year. Y’know, the one with pastel pink hair and a big, cheesy grin who spoke enthusiastically and rapidly despite the slight accent to her words.

 

  “She’s not glowing for you at all?” Mina queried, chewing monotonously as she stared at the younger girl.

 

  “Only her smile, but even then I think that’s just natural and not a power thing.” Dahyun huffs again, more than a little bit bummed out by this.

 

  Mina smiles, putting her sandwich down on her tray.

 

  “Okay, so she’s not glowing for you.” The second year shrugs, reaching across to clap a hand on Dahyun’s shoulder. The younger girl looked up at the contact, making direct eye contact with the cryptic Japanese girl opposite her.

 

  “But,” Mina continues slowly, “would it be so bad to try?”

 

  Dahyun sits back on the bench, eyes narrowed at the other girl.

 

  “You’d use my own words against me?”

 

  “Yeah,” Mina grinned lazily, “I would.”

 

   The first year sighs reluctantly, folding her arms as her face furrows in concentration.

 

  “I guess it wouldn’t be so bad to try. These things don’t have to start with love, right?”

 

  Mina nods enthusiastically, watching as Dahyun shoots up from the table, slamming her hands down on the surface. Every head in the cafeteria turned to their direction, Mina wilting under the sudden attention but Dahyun stood proudly with her hands fisted on her hips.

 

  “Keep an eye out Myoui, ya girls about to get herself a girl.” She declared loudly, not caring at the few heads still looking over.

 

  Dahyun ran out, careering around the corner and almost slipping over in her haste to presumably find Jieqiong.

 

  “Watch this space, Mina!” She shouted one last time, not seeing the fond shake of said girls head at her antics.

 

  Mina returned to her sandwich, taking bigger, more hurried bites. She wanted to see how this would play out, and also wanted to see if Jieqiong still had that arrow in her chest from a few weeks ago.

 

  She might not play Cupid, she thought, brushing the crumbs off of her lap and slinging her own bag over her shoulder to follow the speedy first year - but she most _definitely_ could give a few little nudges in the right direction.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 **JeongBong:** um when did Dahyun get a girlfriend????

 **Chaengie:** a WHAT

 **Momochine:** WHOSMTJDHT

 **Sanana:** *WHOMST’VE

 **Momochine:** thank u bby

 **Sanana:** uwu

 **Nabongs:** disgusting…

                anyway

                WHO??? @Dubudubz

 **Dubudubz:** YOU GUYS STOP SHE’S RIGHT NEXT TO MEXMDJCJSJ

 **Nabongs:** @JeongBong SPILL THE DEETS RIGHT NOW

 **JeongBong** : It’s that uh, first year exchange student with pink hair, idk her name

 **Chewy:** Jieqiong?

 **JeongBong** : YAH THAT ONE

 **Momochine** : WHEN DIDS THSI FJAPPEN @Dubudubz

 **Sanana:** @Dubudubz

 **Chaengie** : @Dubudubz

 **JeongBong:** @Dubudubz

 **Nabongs:** @Dubudubz

 **Dubudubz:** do you guys ever shut UP OH MY GOD

 **Dubudubz:** How did u even find out jeong

 **JeongBong:** walked past u and ya girl sipping on shakes at Moe’s, looked pretty cosy, ive taught u well

 **Nabongs:** lol sure

 **Nabongs:** i taught her everything she knows lets be real

 **Chaengie:** alright grandma sure

 **Chaengie:** we’re not talking about bingo at the retirement home

 **Nabongs:** thE AUDUACITY

 **Chewy:** im happy for you dubu!

 **Sanana:** me too!! our babies are all grown up!!

 **Dubudubz:** u guys are so EMBARRASSING

 **Dubudubz:** but thank u i love u too

 **Dubudubz:** anyways im still with her so bye lol

***Dubudubz is offline***

**Nabongs:** alright now the interrogation begins, when did u know about this @chewy

 **Chewy:** you’ll never take me alive

 **Chewy:** im not a snitch

 **Nabongs:** FINE @sanana

 **Sanana:** wat

 **Nabongs** : u can see attraction or whatever, spill

 **Sanana** : mostly to myself, u know that right

 **Nabongs:** but u can still see other peoples right

 **Sanana:** yah, like when u had that crush on Miss Hwang last year

 **JeongBong:** WHAT

 **Chaengie** : KVJDJCJSJCJSHS

 **Momochine:** holy shit babe u never told me about this

 **Sanana:** shut up you had a crush on her too

 **Chewy:** VKCJDJCJSJCJS

 **Minami:**  Wow looks like i missed a lot

 **Sanana:** hi mina o(◡‿◡✿)

 **Minami:**  Hey

              How on earth did you guys find out about Dahyun this soon, it literally happened like half an hour ago

 **Nabongs:** AHA!

 **Chewy** : god damn it

 **Momochine:** ohohoho, dubz moves fast, im proud

 **Jihyosus** : well this chat is a mess, someone give me the down low

 **Chewy:**  dahyun has a girlfriend, nayeon and momo have teacher kinks and mina’s an accidental snitch

 **Jihyosus** : so, just the usual right??

 **Chewy** : pretty much

 **Minami:** :(

 **Jihyosus** : im sorry ily

 **Minami:** :)

 **Sanana:** oh, and WE’RE the disgusting ones

 **Nabong:** um ye

 **Chaengie** : ye

 **Chewy:** ye

 **JeongBong:** ye

 **Minami:** ye

 **Jihyosus** : ye

 **Momochine:** what the FUCK

 **Sanana:** rude

 **JeongBong:** at least u guys dont use the group chat to borderline sext now

 **Jihyosus:** it’s the small blessings that matter

 **Sanana** : you say that like it was a BAD thing

 **JeongBong:** no offence i could have lived my entire life without knowing how you and momo spend your time together

 **Sanana:** do u want an update??

 **JeongBong:** NO

 **Sanana:** :)

***Sanana has sent screenshot257.jpeg***

**Nabongs:** mY FUCKIN EYES

 **Chewy** : FUCU KFKCOSKCOSNC

 **Minami:** I’VE KNOWN YOU BOTH SINCE I WAS 7, COME ON.

 **Jihyosus:** YOU INCONSIDERATE FUCKS YOU _KNOW_ IM NEVER GONNA FORGET THIS

 **JeongBong** : rip

 **Chaengie:** no one else thought that was kind of hot??

                 no???

                 just me???

                 alrighty then

***Dubudubz has come online***

**Dubudubz:** WHEW alrighty!! what did i miss? :)

 **Sanana:** :)

 **JeongBong:** DAHYUN NO

***Dubudubz is now offline***

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Mina woke up in an unfamiliar bed with the early morning sun in her eyes, squinting blearily as she went to move her hands to block the rays of light. She found her right arm pinned down by a soft, warm body however, and as she woke up a little more she realised Jihyo had somehow snuggled completely against her in her sleep.

 

  She debated using her left hand to block the sun, but decided it was much more needed in its place around Jihyo’s waist. She shuffled a little closer, molding herself around the sleeping girl and burying her face against her shoulder to give her eyes the much needed relief she’d been seeking.

 

  She feels Jihyo stir, curses inwardly as the pliant body wrapped by her own stretches and comes alive in her arms. Mina listened attentively to all the soft, minute sounds that escaped her girlfriend’s mouth as she roused, small moans and groans as she fought herself to rise to consciousness this early.

 

  “I’m sorry for waking you.” Mina mumbles into the curls of Jihyo’s hair, feels Jihyo’s hand move to hold the one on her stomach.

 

  “Don’t be.” She murmurs back, voice low and scratchy with sleep and Mina feels it punch her somewhere deep in her stomach.

 

  The hand covering her own pulls Mina’s arm tighter around her waist, rolling both bodies closer in the cramped confines of Jihyo’s small bed. Mina takes a deep breath, smells the fruity fragrance of the shampoo in Jihyo’s hair and smiles unknowingly. She presses a small kiss to the back of the girls neck, reveling in the shudder she feels against her own body at the contact. She begins to sink into soft warmth when Jihyo pulls away, involuntarily whining at the unexpected loss of heat.

 

  She turns over, bed springs complaining noisily as she does, and Mina sucks in a breath when languid velvet eyes blink drowsily at her. The sun is hitting the back of her head, highlighting the messy strands of hair framing her face and Mina doesn’t want to be too dramatic, but this might be the most beautiful sight she’s ever seen.

 

  “Good morning.” Jihyo croaks with a small smile, eyes shutting languorously as she lets out a big yawn. Her hand comes up to cover her mouth, before her body stretches fully and she arches against Mina, hands stretching out to drape lazily on the swell of her girlfriend’s hip.

 

  “Good morning.” Mina reiterates, still squinting from the sun blinding her through the gap in the curtains.

 

  Jihyo notices, frowns a little before she shifts on her side and props her head up with her hand. It means her head is just high enough to block the sunlight, and Mina sends her a serene smile in thanks.

 

  “Won’t that be uncomfortable after a while?” Mina murmurs, trying to tuck herself underneath Jihyo’s propped up form. The other girls’ eyes flick to the side, thinking of a solution and she must have found it for a devilish grin embeds itself on her face.

 

  She bounces up, mattress groaning at the movement and jolting Mina out of the little divot she’d pressed into it, and swings her leg to sit astride Mina’s hips. She pools the duvet around her shoulders, hovering over the girl whilst she sinks down on top of her and smiles down at her.

 

  “Better?” She muses, the last vestiges of drowsiness melting from her voice as she woke up fully. Mina’s hands come up to rest naturally on the side of her thighs, the skin is soft and warm under her touch and she feels Jihyo jolt as her cold fingers come into contact.

 

  “Much.” Mina smiles back at her, drinking in the sight of her girlfriend sitting on top of her, sunlight framing a halo around her head as she looked down at her with liquid eyes dripping warm honey on her tongue. She swallowed thickly, tasting sweet nectar trickling down her throat, and even though the sunlight is no longer blinding her eyes she still finds herself staring directly at the sun.

 

  Jihyo sighs on top of her, a content sound that relaxes her weight on top of her girlfriend and brings her forward, slipping both of her hands under the hem of Mina’s shirt to rest on the smooth planes of her stomach. Mina sucks in a breath, stomach tightening at the cool fingertips drumming a leisurely beat atop of her. Her hands press into her stomach, leaning down to press a lazy, unrushed kiss that had her feeling like she was drifting on a cloud instead of pinned down by heavenly thighs on Jihyo’s cramped bed (although both were a plus in her mind). Jihyo pulls away, has Mina’s lips trailing after her pleadingly and she’s _smirking._

 

  “I’ve been thinking,” she begins, smirk growing wider at Mina’s impatient whine.

 

  “Can’t it wait?” She huffs, hands running absentmindedly down Jihyo’s thighs.

 

  “No,” she rebukes immediately, grabbing Mina’s hands and holding them in her own, “We should buy Dahyun some sunglasses.”

 

  Mina stares at her girlfriend incredulously.

 

  “You’re sat on top of your loving girlfriend at,” she pauses, head turning to glance at the alarm clock on Jihyo’s side, “8am in the morning, and you’re thinking of _Dahyun?”_

 

  Jihyo’s grin is impossibly wide, Mina’s almost afraid her face might split but then it drops into a small, bratty pout.

 

  “What else would you rather me think about?”

 

  “Me.” Mina deadpans, hands tugging themselves out of Jihyo’s grip to tap impatiently on her thighs again.

 

  “ _Meeeeeee_ .” She whines again, sitting up at the throaty giggle Jihyo fails to restrain. She’s smiling too, ruining the wounded girlfriend front she was aiming for. She clenches her hands in the loose material of Jihyo’s ( _Mina’s_ ) shirt, ruffling the over-sized fabric childishly against her leg. She feels a pair of arms reach up to wind around her neck, and she looks up to see the biggest smile adorning Jihyo’s face.

 

  “I’m always thinking of you.” She responds, voice low and enticing like she’d practiced the delivery of this line a hundred times before. Her heart is tapping a bruising beat against her ribs, and Mina sucks in a small breath at the soft words.

 

  “Every minute.” She continues, lips brushing against the shell of Mina’s ear as she leans down. “Of every day.”

 

  “I can’t get you out of my head, Myoui Mina.” She whispers, breath skating along Mina’s skin and making the girl shiver in her hold. “And I just want to look at you. All of the time. Because I want to remember the way you look when my fingers touch your skin, and the way your eyes trace my lips whenever I smile.”

 

  “You are the thing I want to remember the most.”

 

  Mina blinks back the tears forming in her eyes, hoping that Jihyo won’t notice the surreptitious slide of her face against her t-shirt and tries not to choke on the indescribable feeling crawling up her throat. It might be love, she thinks, pulling away to look at the girl above her staring at her like she’s the most important person in the world - and in that moment she feels like it.

 

  “You say that like I’m going to go away.” Mina smiles, words trembling with the tears she forced down earlier, and Jihyo smiles back. It’s cryptic, a little pensive, and Mina feels her brows furrow at the sight.

 

  “Doesn’t everyone?” Her girlfriend sighs, thumb pressing into the crease between her brows to ease the lines formed there.

 

  “Not me.” Mina murmurs softly, voice hushed and muted. “Not now, not ever.” She reaffirms, hands reaching up to cup Jihyo’s cheeks tenderly. And she meant it. She couldn’t predict what the future would bring, and what obstacles fate would throw in her way.

 

  But she meant every single word when she realised she could see herself with the girl staring down at her with love in her eyes and forever on her lips for a lifetime.

 

  Jihyo’s kissing her again, lips crushing against her own desperately like she was searching, seeking for something. Familiar hands wind around the back of her neck, cupping her head with trembling fingers as desperate lips slide against hers with a yearning fervour and Mina _gives_ , gives the beautiful girl on top of her everything she has in this moment.

 

  She pulls away, gasping for air and presses her head against Mina’s as her eyelids scrunch shut.

 

  “I wish you could see yourself how I see you.” Mina murmurs, eyes tracing the soft planes of Jihyo’s face as lustrous eyes dripping liquid sunlight fluttered open.

 

  “I don’t know how anyone could ever forget a girl like you.” She drags her thumb across Jihyo’s cheek, hoping she could see just how sincere she was being, how much honesty she was putting into her words. She knows it was Jihyo’s biggest fear; being forgotten, people moving on like you were barely a blip on their radar, or like you were hardly a speed bump on their road through life. It’s a poetic sort of irony, that the girl with the infallible memory gifted by sunset kissed eyes would be afraid of being forgotten.

 

  Mina grasps at Jihyo’s face, pulls away slightly so the other girl could clearly see her lips.

 

  “This is the unforgettable type of love my parents always told me about.” She starts, mouth motions precise and neat as she watches Jihyo’s eyes trace every movement. “And you can’t see it, but I can. The arrow in my chest that’s been stuck on you since day 1.” She continues, bringing Jihyo’s hands to press against the centre of her chest. They rest there, palm flat against her ribcage as she breathes slowly, feeling the tentative flex of Jihyo’s fingers around the conceptual arrow in her chest. Mina smiles, and she spies the slight quirk of Jihyo’s lips at the heartbeat thudding against her hand.

 

  “As long as you’re with me, I’m with you.” Mina finishes, exhaling heavily and leaning forward to press a feather light kiss on the tip of Jihyo’s nose.

 

  “I’m trusting you to love me.” She confesses, because she doesn’t have the definitive reassurance of an arrow in Jihyo’s chest to tell her without words.

 

  She places her trust in the soft hands sliding up to cup her face and the glistening eyes that speak louder than words ever could. She feels it in the delicate finger tips dragging down her jaw with every shaky breath to pull her closer, to eradicate the non-existent distance between them and press her body fully flush against her own. She feels it in the warm sunlight on the back of her hands when they wind around Jihyo’s waist, setting her nerves alight as the other girl moves unhurriedly against her, taking all of the time in the world to remember this moment.

 

  It really wouldn’t be so bad to try, she thinks as she falls back against crumpled, white sheets, listening to the heart filled laugh that erupts from Jihyo’s chest and the tired groan of the springs when she flips them over to press her against the mattress instead. She nestles herself comfortably between pillowy thighs, pulls herself up to tuck a hand in the crook of Jihyo’s knee and hold herself above the beaming girl beneath her looking at her like she hung the moon in the sky, and thought that maybe trying was the best thing she’d ever done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i debated the dumb text segment but i thought why not ya know, it's my fic lmao  
> anyway, i hope this fluff gave you cavities cause writing it did

**Author's Note:**

> give me suggestions on twt @tiffatologist, i like to write :p  
> p.s. tell me if u liked it cause i thrive on interaction and criticism ty ty


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